It is actually to do with the way the Indian society has been matured from the past 1000+ years.

Picture this: Your family is not rich and lives basically hand to mouth.

The male in the family does all the hard work outside of the home and women is basically the home maker (which is hard work too, but unfortunately is not considered so by the men folk because its easy to be male chauvinistic).

Mom (now the women in the house), goes through all the hardships and including skipping meals to keep the men full...

goes through male chauvinism because she is dependent on the Male for everything... She sacrifices her needs and wants to ensure the male in the house gets everything...

When she has a male child, now she gets to plan her future1) If she is good to the boy, then she might get to stay with him in her old days..

Remember she is financially dependent..2) If she brings up her boy in a way HE likes it, then he automatically depends on her for emotional strength which is good to her in her old age. 3) Her hubby being an male chauvinist, she gets little or no support from him.